Celebrate Ontario food and farmers

Today marks the start of Agriculture Week in Ontario. With Thanksgiving a week away, it’s the perfect time to celebrate Ontario food and farmers.
Enjoying local food helps our economy, health and environment. Buying local supports our farmers and other workers in Ontario’s largest employment sector – food and farming. Eating fresh, local food plays a critical role in promoting our good health.

Local food also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports good stewardship of our land, water and air. According to Local Food Plus, if 10,000 people shift only $10 of their weekly groceries to local, we can reduce as much greenhouse gas emissions as we would taking 1,000 cars off the road. We’d also create 100 new jobs.

A comprehensive Ontario Food and Farming Strategy is essential to Ontario. We need to ensure access to healthy local food for everyone and support vibrant family farms to grow it. We need political leadership that delivers results. Today, we are renewing our call for:

1. A local food purchasing program for all public institutions, especially in schools and hospitals;
2. Removing regulatory and tax barriers to success for family farms and local processors;
3. Investments in farm infrastructure, innovation and stewardship programs.